Fickle Little Konochi
by KannaKyomu
Summary: Sakura feeling put down by TenTen's words one night at a gettogether at Ino's, finds comfort from a person she would of originaly thought to lazy to do anything at all..


This is my first Naruto Fanfic, the pairings are Sakura/Shikamaru. Nothing heavey, just a simple one-shot. please enjoy, and send me any feedback you wish, flames are not welcome, but constructive critcism is. Thanks, enjoy. -Kanna

Sakura sat silently under one of the many great trees of Konoha. The sun was out, every now and then a cloud would drift by, covering the great ball of golden light and shrouding the world in grey. She tugged a little at the hem of her normal atire, feeling slighty put out.

She had wanted to test a theory during training today, and so she had. It came out just as she had expected; maybe to much like what she had expected. The night before, while at a small get-together at Ino's house, sakura remembered something Tenten had let slip.. and in Sakura's opinion, starting this whole mess.

-Flashback-

Voices hummed through the air with a dull murmuer that always sounded when many people were speaking quietly at once. Sakura sat on Ino's pale blue couch, Neji sat to her left, and TenTen to her right, Others of their age group were around, Sakura spoted Shikamaru leaning aganst a wall, and for all he was worth, looked like he was about to fall asleep. Ino chated away next to him excitedly, as if not noticing his lack of enthusiasm.

Choji was in the kitchen, no suprise there. Akamaru was barking happily and chasing after Sasuke's heals, who looked ready to smack the dog. Kiba was hunched over a board game, lip pulled into a snarl when Hinata; his oponent, finished moving one of her while stones across the Go board. Sakura cought Hinata start to apologise and blush when kiba jumped up and yelled;

"Damn it! thats my 7th loss in a row!" Ino turned to him and glared.

"Shut up Kiba! If my mom finds out i have more than one friend over she'll kill me!" Tenten giggled at her side gazing at Kiba with a looked that Sakura recognized all to well.

"What's so funny?" Neji grunted the first thing he had said all night.

"Oh nothing..." Tenten trailed off. Sakura gave her a sideways glance.

"You have odd taste in men." she commented lightly. Tenten blushed bright red, and Neji raised an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked, his look not changing.

"Maybe you'll understand when your older." Tenten said. It was Sakura's turn to look questioning.

"You do know... Neji-san is a year older than us.. right..?" Tenten looked bashful at that.

"He's a year older than you! hes only-" she paused here and began counting on her fingers before continuing.

"Six months and some odd days older than me!" Sakura sighed in exaperation.

"But hes still older.." Next to her, Neji shifted, looking uncomfortable.

"Can we not discuss my age? And how do you even know my birthday anyways Tenten.."

"Hinata told me, July third right?" He nodded.

"So anyways!" Tenten said aparently changing the subject.

"Hows your team Sakura? Naruto still being all dramatic? Sasuke still being all.. dark?" Sakura curled some hair behind her ear, giving tenten a look, she folded her bare feet up close to her on the couch, trying to get more comfortable. She absent mindedly traced the pink flowered disign imbroidered onto the light blue fabric.

"Well..." she said, not looking at tenten.

"Their advancing really fast.. Naruto and Sasuke will be taking the Jounin tests with you guys next month.. Yeah, Naruto is still as hot-headed as ever, but Sasuke seems to of lightened a little after the whole Orochimaru fiasco..." Neji stared at Sakura, her head was bent, seemingly engrosed in her finger as it traced the outline of the flowers.

"Oh, well i guess thats cool i mean, its great their moving on so fast! but really if i were you i'd feel a little bad you know? them leaving you in the dust and what-not." Tenten said off-handedly as she watched kiba lose another game to Hinata. Neji's head shot up to look at Tenten he glared at her. Quickly he stood, almost knocking Sakura off the couch in the process.

"I apologise for my team mates behavior Sakura, i'm sure she didnt mean it." Neji quickly grabed tenten by the wrist and draged her off. Her indignant 'Hey!' could be heard as they left Ino's livingroom in favor for the backyard.

Sakura stared as the Shoji screen door shut, making the loss of her company seem omonus... and so it was! At that moment Choji sat himself down in Tenten's vacant spot, a sandwich, a bag of chips, and other random rood producs were droped haphazardly on the oak coffee table infront of them.

"Hey Sakura." he said around a mouthful of something green and yellow.

"Hey.." was her almost inaudible response. Choji opened his mouth to say something, most likely to comment about the way she was behaving. Before he could, Sakura felt a weight to her left, and she turned to see Shikamaru.

"You managed to get away from Ino-pig?" Sakura mused to herself.

"Yeah.. her moms home." he said.

"Oh, i supose i better get going then. none of use are suposed to be here after all..." She stood, and headed out the front door, dodging an excited looking Lee on her way. It was too late though, he saw her.

"Hey! Sakura! there you are, i though you were going to met me out front..?"

"Oh.. yeah.. about that.. Lee-san.. uhm.."

"Its alright my flower! I got you a present on my way here!" he yelled making everyone look at him. He handed her a rose, that looked like it had just been picked. She took it heastently.

"Uhm.. thanks.." she wispered.. she really wanted to leave.

"Oi! Sakura! c'mon already!" Sakura loked up suprised, who was saving her from the over excited green breast of Konoha? Aa. It was Shikamaru, standing just outside Ino's house.

"Coming." she replyed, and jogged up to met him. From there, they walked untill they got to Sakura's house.

"You didn't have to do that.. or walk me home for that matter." Sakura said.

"Who said i was walking you home? its on my way." he replyed.

"Aa." Sakura watched him truge off, as if he were walking in mud or something.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" she called to him before he rounded the corner. He turned to look at her, Mumbing about troublesome women.

"What."

"Whens you birthday?" he stared at her a moment.

"September twenty second." he said turning his back and walking past her sight.

-End Flashback-

Whe she had laid down that night, she had come up with a plan for today, to see if her team realy was forgeting about her. When training began the next morning, Kakashi had turned to Sasuke and began to explain the basics of a new jutsu to him, while Naruto Was yelling at their teacher about how he never taught anything complicated to him only Sasuke, and so it was That Naruto joined into the lesson. Sakura just stood behind, not making a sound. When she waited to see if they would remember her, and when nothing hapened, she turned, and exited the training grove silently. She made her way across the old red bridge they met at for training, across other grounds for other teams. She passes Tenten, Lee, and Neji, they didnt seem to notice her either. oh well.

'i guess this is the way the world works.' she mused to herself. Looking up at the great green tree. The rose Lee had given her wilted in her fingers, not the presine red it had been te previous night.

"I hate roses." she muttered.

"Whys that?" came a gruff male voice next to her. Sakura jumped slightly. She turned to see Shikamaru siting on his haunches, looking at her, his finger tips pressed together in his thinking pose.

"Roses are.. fickle.. beautiful yes.. but.. they dont survive. Its not the way a Konochi is suposed to be.. but i guess its the way i turned out.. so weak." she whispered.

"I guess you have a point. Although, i dont think your flickle, or weak." he muttered back, while siting himself down properly, then lieing back in the grass staring up at the clouds.

"Why are you here?" she asked. he didnt respond for a while so she repated the question.

"I should be asking you that." he grunted.

"What?"

"This is my cloud gazing spot." he told her as if she should of known. and she should have. it just seemed to slip her mind. She leaned back into the tree, then though better of it and got up only to lay back down next to Shikamaru. He didnt spare her a glance. Sakura looked up at the sky, watching the sliver lined clouds roll by lazily. Sakura couldnt help but compair them to Shikamaru.

-----

Sakura jerked her eyes open to see the night sky, when had she fallen asleep? She sat up, Lightning flashed through the once semi-clear atmosphere.

"Your finaly awake." Shikamaru's voice sounded behind her.

"You waited for me?" she asked suprised.

"If you dont hurry up i'll leave you to get sick in the rain too." he huffed. Sakura jumped up and started towards him, and without warning, he grabed her by the wrist and started runing the the direction of her house. After runing for a few minutes, they made it ot her patio, and at that moment it bagan to pour down rain.

"Oh no.. you'll get soaked now.." She whispered, but Shikamaru said nothing, she looked up to see him watching her.

"Whats wrong?" she asked. Still he said nothing, and with the swiftness only a genious shinobi posesed, he sliped the forgoten rose into her hair, and then, he kissed her.

Sakura was suprised, and at first didnt know how to repond, but didnt get the chance to, when he pulled away, he let go of her hand that she hadnt realized he had still been holding.

"Your right, the rose if fickle. But every rose has its thorns." he said.

As if in a dream, he disapered. Sakura, slowly grinned. Then ran right into the rain after him, and hugged him from behind, he grunted from the unexpected impact.

"Thank you Shikamaru.." she said, as they stood geting soaked in the rain. He grunted again and twisted around to give her a propper hug.

"I'll.. see you tomorow..?" he asked uncertin.

"Yeah, i'll see you tomorow." he grinned then.

"Alright, bye Sakura-chan!" he said leting go and darting off.

"Bye Shikamaru-Kun!" she waved. Once she made her way inside, She took a quick shower, and in the process of geting dressed, her phone rang.

"Moshi moshi?" she answered.

"Sakura! Oh thank Kami! we'e been looking for you every where all day!" it was Naruto, there was a scuffling and yelling and sasuke's voice rang through the phone

"Sakura! where were you!" it was a demand, but she heard the hiden meaning behind it, 'we were worried'

"oh.. i was out and about." she answered vaugly.

OWARI

thanks, reviews are encouraged, i hope you liked it.

remember, i dont know if theres a mistake unless you tell me.


End file.
